shepard



H. GL HEPARD. WOODEN WHEEL RIM.

(No Model.)

No. 564,802. Patented July 28, 1896.'

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY G. SHEPARD, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO H. G. SHEPARD& SONS, OF SAME PLACE.

WOODEN WHEEL-RIM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,802, dated July 28,1896. 7

Application filed January 24,1894. Serial No. 497,871. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, HARVEY G. SHEPARD, of New Haven, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inWooden Wheel-Rims; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a View in side elevation of a wheelrim constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2, an enlarged broken plan Viewthereof; Fig. 3, a View of the rim in longitudinal section on the line ab of Fig. 2; Fig. i, a view of the rim in transverse section on the linea d of the same figure.

My invention relates to an improvement in wooden rims for cycle-wheels,the object being to produce at a low cost for manufacture a light,simple, strong, and durable rim constructed with particular reference totaking the strain of the spokes and to resisting exposure to theweather.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a wooden wheel-rimhaving certain details of construction'and combinations of parts, aswill be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention I employ a single long strip of wood A,such as hickory, ash, or elm, and of any desired cross-section, so longas it has its outer periphery concaved suitably to the reception of atire. Its ends are formed squarely with reference to its length, so asto be abutted squarely together, or'at a right angle to the length ofthestrip. The outer 'face of each end of the strip has a recess B formed init, the recess of one end of the strip corresponding to the recess ofthe other end thereof and both recesses sinking below the concavity ofthe strip; As shown herein, these recesses are nearly as wide as thestrips at their outer ends, but taper gradu ally in width and depth asthey progress inward. They are designed to receive a supplementalbinding-strip C, which is applied over the joint formed by thesquarely-abutting ends of the rim-strip A and inserted into and securedin the said recesses, to which it conforms in shape, being thickest inits center and tapering gradually laterally and longitudinallytherefrom. It is also made to conform to the curvature of the outer faceof the rim-strip, so that the concavity of one is made coincident withthat of the other. This binding-strip is secured in place by means ofglue or other equivalent material, and also by two of the wheel-spokes DD, which are passed through it at points opposite of its longitudinalcenter, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3.

By abutting the ends of the rim -strips squarely together theyefiectively resist the strain of the spokes, whereas if the joint isformed by chamfering and lapping the ends of the rim-strip the tensionof the spokes exerts a constant effort to cause the two chamfered endsto slide upon each other. Furthermore, the formation of a square jointreduces the opportunity of moisture to work into the joint from theexposed portion of the rim to the minimum, as a square joint makes theshortest line of union between the ends of the rim-strip that can bemade. The main por tion of the joint, which may be said to bearound theedges of the supplemental bind- I ing-strip, is located entirely withinthe outer faceof the rim, and when the same is in use will be concealedand protected by the tire; but independent of the glue or other materialused in the formation of the joint the two spokes which pass through thebinding-strip and through the abutting ends of the rimstrip cooperatetherewith, so as to hold them all together firmly, even in the absenceof glue or cement. I also wish to call attention to the fact that thesupplemental bindingstrip, being made of wood, yields or springs withthe rim, and avoids the formation of a dead-point therein.

I do not of course limit myself to the application of my invention torims of any particular form in transverse section, as that may be variedaccording to the dictates of circumstances. It is to be understood,however, that wheel-rims constructed in accordance with my inventionwill have concave outer peripheries for the reception of tires; nor do Ilimit myself to recessing the outer faces of the ends of the rim-stripin any particular manner, nor to using a supplemental binding-strip ofany particular form, for obviously the shape of the recesses and binding-strip may also be varied. I would there fore have it understood thatI do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown anddescribed, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes andalterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.I am aware, however, that it is old to squarely abut the ends of awheel-felly and connect them by means of a metal bindingstrip appliedover the abutting ends of the telly, and secured thereto byinwardly-bent retaining-points located at its ends, and I do not claimthat construction broadly; nor do I broadly claim a wooden wheel-rimconcaved to receive a tire. Neither do I broadly claim a joint formed byscarfing and abutting two ends and binding them together by means of ashort piece of wood set into the space formed by scarfing them, for thatis old in the art of woodworking. I am also aware that it is old toconstruct a suspension-wheel with a wooden rim, the ends of which aredirectly abutted and overlapped to form a joint.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wheel-rim consisting of a circularlybent wooden strip having itsends joined together and the concave tire-seat surface of its endportions grooved or recessed circumferentially, and a wooden lap-stripfitting into and cemented to the walls of the recessed ends of therim-strip.

2. The herein-describedwooden rinr for bicycle-wheels, composed of arim-strip and a short supplemental binding-strip, the said rim-stripconsisting of a single strip of wood having its outer periphery groovedor con-.

caved throughout its length to adapt it to receive a tire, and alsohaving two recesses corresponding to each other, formed in the outerfaces of its respective ends, sinking below its groove and deepest andwidest at their outer ends and gradually tapering both in width anddepth as they progress inward from the ends of the rim-strip, and-thesaid bindingstrip being ooncavo-convex inTcross-section, tapering inthickness and width in each direction from its longitudinal center, setinto the space formed by recessin g the ends of the rim-strip asdescribed, so that its concaved outer face coincides with the curvatureof the groove in the rim-strip, secured in place throughout its lengthby an adhesive, and located entirely within the edges of the rimstrip,substantially as described, and whereby the said binding-strip beingmade of wood is elastic and springs with the rim-strip, and whereby,also, the joint formed by the binding-strip is protected from injuryand'moisture by the tire which is located in the groove of the rim-stripand covers the binding-strip.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

HARVEY G. SHEPARD.

Vitnesses:

FRED O. EARLE, LILLIAN D. KELsEY.

